Evol Psych Flashcards
Two primary issues of concern when trying to figure out the
design of the mind
1) What were the adaptive problems and stresses that existed in the ancestral environment.
some were common to all humans
some were more relevant to males vs females and vice versa
2) What mental/psychological mechanisms
evolved in the brain to deal with (solve) those
problems?
Evolutionary psychology→ ultimate causation→ why?
Anatomy/physiology→ how?
Physical Needs/Problems/Stresses
staying warm
keeping away from predators
getting enough food
getting proper nutrients
avoiding disease
Social Needs/Problems/Stresses
finding a good mate
raising offspring
maintaining reciprocal relationships
avoiding cheaters
acquiring status
protecting oneself from enemies communicating with
others
maintaining group cohesion
EVOLVED PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS
- EPMs exist to solve specific problems of survival or reproduction recurrently over evolutionary history
- A particular EPM is designed to take in only a narrow slice of info
– it is activated by a specific stimulus - The output of the EPM can be:
*physiological (e.g., arousal, nausea) information to other mechanisms (e.g., evaluate options to deal with
problem)
*manifest behavior (e.g., running away, attacking, eating). - Output of an EPM is directed toward the “solution” to the problem
* not necessarily successful, especially in current environment
* historically (evolutionary) was on average a successful solution
Evolutionary Mismatch
1) Evolution (or more specifically the process of natural selection) has not only influenced the development of the physical body, which is a widely accepted belief, but also the brain, its psychological mechanisms, and behavior
that results from these mechanisms
2) These mechanisms are best thought of as adaptations –> increased the likelihood of survival and successful mating of humans throughout evolutionary history
*as a result were passed down to future
generations
3) the present environment differs greatly from the environment in which these mechanisms evolved
*when mechanisms are triggered in the current environment, they are not always
functional
Emotions as EPMs
Emotions:
1) tell us if something is important in the environment
2) is it goal congruent or incongruent (good or bad for us)?
EMOTIONS AND ADAPTATION
Clearly “positive” emotions direct us towards environmental stimuli that enhance our fitness – increasing involvement in situations that are good for our evolutionary success (e.g., love, pride, happiness, relief)
But what about negative emotions?
Are negative emotions EPMs?
If so they should have a “functional”
quality – provide some advantage when
triggered by a “problem” that threatens the individual’s
survival and mating success
*the output should “solve” the problem when the
emotion is triggered correctly (true alarm)
Sexual Jealousy
Trigger: sexual partner’s suspected or actual sexual infidelity
Core features:
Increased suspiciousness, possessiveness
Anger and threats of retaliation including potential physical aggression
Displays of sadness, suicide threats – attempts to manipulate
Function (adaptation) – in ancestral environment
maintain fidelity of partner, fend off sexual rivals
Function (adaptation) – in modern environment
when perceived accurately (true alarm) can do the same:
maintain fidelity of partner, fend of sexual rivals, preserve self-esteem
Dysfunction (psychopathology)
Modern environment mismatch:
Increased contact between males and females (e.g., work, school) excessively triggers mechanism
False alarm:
Misperceptions of threat (e.g., low self-esteem) may lead to relationship dysfunction and
personal distress
True alarm:
Accurate perceptions of threat may lead to poor goal investment (ie, better to find someone else)
3 supposed paradoxes to evolutionary theory
- Altruism – humans are reciprocal altruists
- Homosexuality
o possible biological difference
o stimulus change, behavior stays the same - Suicide
o relief model
Fear, Anxiety and Worry
Anxiety o future oriented o anticipatory o intensity grows as stimulus context comes closer o anticipation of future threat
Fear
• threat is imminent
o panic
Worry o Third type of anxiety o concern about potential future threat o uniquely human o problem-solving ability o goes beyond S-R • GAD • 'specter of human intelligence'"
Claustrophobia “makes sense”
Suffocation
o elevator 1% fear a crash
o 99% fear difficulty breathing
Suffocation alarm
• yawn
• also signals others
Confinement – more vulnerable to predators
• not being aware of escape route is a threat
• many who are afraid of flying are claustrophobic
• e.g. multiple stop flights; local vs express trains
Agoraphobia is a form of claustrophobia
PTSD
Shame over natural response of fleeing or protecting
Most report order of traumatic experience in line with most advanatageous / lowest cost:
o freeze – flight – fight
• Dissociation can prevent fully processing information
o affects PTSD
Female rape victims
o those who did not dissociate, able to process – felt more complicit (clarify)
Shapes construal of event, needs to be addressed
LeDoux – arming everyone will not work – people will freeze
o soldiers trained to not freeze in the situation
o it requires training because it was against our natural instinct to freeze
o basic training = extinction and deconditioning of instinctual freeze and flight response
Tonic Immobility
2 ideas based on activity of prey under restraint of predator:
If immobilized, predator more likely to loosen its grip
Most species only eat alive, moving prey—if already dead, possibly rotten, unhealthy
Can be Induced by being on back with restraint on neck area – most predators go for the neck
Evolutionary Perspective: Infants’ faces
Women are more drawn to infant faces
*willing to spend more resources on these individuals
This behavior explains our preferences for dogs
• Big eyes like children
• Require our caregiving ability
• People communicate with both via baby-talk
• (dogs have also evolved to seem more caring of humans
• Those who didn’t, were eaten by our ancestors)
Evolutionary Perspective: Violence and Aggression
Necessity in hunter-gather societies
Mismatch = we no longer need this degree of physical strength to demonstrate aggression
Guns have allowed us to quickly act upon our aggressive and violent tendencies
We are still consumers of violence
• Video games, movies TV, revenge stories, football with tackle highlights
Chimps are the most genetically-related species
• Engage in tactical warfare
When resources are reduced, society becomes more violent
• e.g. getting fuel after Hurricane Sandy
Evolutionary Perspective: Fidelity, Agression
Females verbally (aggressively) attack other females’ fidelity
“slut,” “whore”
Research shows males find fidelity attractive
Females overall have much lower interest in sports compared to males
*possibly due to lacking the physical mechanisms or psychological desires to engage in physical aggression
